Remote Meeting Tools to Check Out

Today’s business is global. You work with people on different schedules, in different time zones, and with different priorities, so you need something that will help you to effectively communicate with everyone. Email is great, but sometimes it's more time efficient to gather a group to knock something out together before it slips through the cracks. For those important meetings and urgent messages, you need something more workable.

Remote meeting tools help in facilitating remote meetings. By bringing your team together, remotely, these tools help companies save on time and travel expenses.

Using web conferencing tools can also help you give demos or share information and collaborate in real time with others. These tools have numerous benefits to businesses, but how do you know which one suits your business needs? You're probably familiar with some of the most common tools like WebEx, GoToMeeting, and Zoom, but we've come up with a list of other remote meeting tools you should be sure to check out:

Adobe Connect

Adobe Connect has found itself on this list because of its cool customization possibilities and friendly interface. With this tool, you can easily personalize your meeting space and other customizable pods for substantial functionality.

Adobe Connect allows you to add Q&A, simulations, polls, and games, and this helps make your conference meeting more immersive. It has VOIP integration, robust data security, in-built storage space, and recording and editing features.

You will pay $50 per month for Adobe Connect Meeting of up to 25 participants, and $130 a month for Adobe Connect Webinar.

Skype

Skype is one of the most popular remote meeting tools because of three major reasons—it is free, easy to use, and is supported by multiple devices. With this tool, you can hold both one-to-one and group meetings, complete with easy @ mentions and funky chat reactions.

Skype for Business can facilitate meetings of up to 250 participants. Its advanced features include Skype interview, HD video calling, private chat, and Skype web. What’s more, it has been integrated with Xbox and Alexa, making it truly multi-functional.

Sync-in

Sync.in has made it to this list due to its ingenious document-editing feature that works in real-time. This feature is really helpful to people who want to work together at the point of contact. The same document can be edited by multiple people at the same time, while still communicating through speaking.

Sync.in works more or less like Google Docs and instantly displays any changes that are made on the document. While the chat is real-time, the document history is saved, so you can be able to go through it later on. This tool is great for planning, working on notes and documents, training, brainstorming and more.

Sync.in is completely free and requires no sign-up; but, you will be required to pay $2 per month for the PRO version after a 30-day trial.

Google Hangouts

This is another social networking platform that supports video chatting with a group. All you need to get started is to install video plugins and Google voice. This end-to-end meeting platform is integrated with Google Docs and Google Calendar, so you can basically access all Google apps from a single window. Its integration with Calendar means each participant can access meeting-related information like the agenda, with the invite.

Meetin.gs

Organization is crucial if you want your business to succeed; and, even with the proper tools, getting everyone online at the same time can be problematic.

Meeting.gs is a scheduling tool that helps you organize the process for everyone involved. You will be able to create and edit schedules together with your participants until you find a suitable time for all.

This is how it works:

• Forward the invitations
• Distribute any documents and convey the agenda
• Discuss with the participants and settle on a time based on the provided information.

Meetin.gs is free for meetings of not more than six participants, but you will pay $19 a month or $190 per year for a PRO account.

MeetingBunner

MeetingBurner is not just an excellent place to hold remote meetings, but also host webinars and share your screen. This platform is free for meetings of up to ten participants, but you will pay $99.95 per month for large meetings of up to 1,000 attendees.

Some of its benefits include:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Highly scalable
• Ability to record your meetings
• Fast load times
• Users get video screening and screen sharing capabilities

MeetingBunner also lets you get analytics for your conference so you can grasp how your audience interacts with your content.

AnyMeeting

This platform is designed particularly for small businesses. It costs $18 for an ad-free meeting, but if you can put up with some ads here and there, then you can use the platform completely free of charge.

AnyMeeting supports video conferences of up to six people at any one time. It has VoIP built-in and allows you to communicate with your agents and clients across the globe and get together over the phone, through video, or on the web.

For those planning to get started with webinar, AnyMeeting is your platform.

Twiddla

Twiddla is another very popular remote meeting platform because of its ability to markup websites, images, graphics, and many more via a whiteboard. Unlike some other tools, Twiddla allows you to not only collaborate with others but also to hold conference calls and browse the internet during meetings. No downloads, sign-ups, or plugins are needed for the free account and this tool is compatible with all major firewalls on the market.

The free version only offers meetings, screen captures, voice chat, and image and document sharing. Twiddla, however, offers three other plans: Universal ($189/month, Enterprise ($49/month), and Professional ($14/month).

As you may have noticed, these platforms almost offer similar features, but there are slight variations that you can consider when choosing the best one for your business. Many of these tools are geared towards businesses of a particular size. For instance, Skype is for small companies while services such as MeetingBunner would be perfect for larger companies that require all the extra features. The best thing to do is to take advantage of the free versions. That way you will be able to discover how good a particular tool is and whether or not it meets your business needs.